As-Saff

سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ 1

{ سبح لله ما فى السموت وما فى الأرض } أي نزهه فاللام مزيدة وجيء بما دون «من» تغليبا للأكثر { وهو العزيز } في ملكه { الحكيم } في صنعه.

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifies God, that is to say, [everything] proclaims His transcendence (the lām [of li’Llāhi] is extra, and mā has been used instead of min in order to indicate the predominance [of non-rational creatures]) and He is the Mighty, in His kingdom, the Wise, in His actions.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ 2

{ يأيها الذين ءامنوا لم تقولون } في طلب الجهاد { ما لا تفعلون } إذ انهزمتم بأحد؟

O you who believe, why do you say, in demanding [to participate in] the struggle, what you do not do?, for you retreated at Uhud.

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ 3

{ كبر } عظم { مقتا } تمييز { عند الله أن تقولوا } فاعل كبر { ما لا تفعلون }.

It is greatly loathsome (maqtan is for specification) to God that you say (an taqūlū constitutes the agent of [the verb] kabura, ‘it is great[ly]’) what you do not do.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَـٰنٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ 4

{ إن الله يحب } ينصر ويكرم { الذين يقتلون فى سبيله صفا } حال، أي صافين { كأنهم بنين مرصوص } ملزق بعضه إلى بعض ثابت.

Indeed God loves, He assists and honours, those who fight for His cause in ranks (saffan is a circumstantial qualifier, in other words [understand it as] sāffīna), as if they were a solid structure, with all of its parts compacted together, firm.

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَـٰقَوْمِ لِمَ تُؤْذُونَنِى وَقَد تَّعْلَمُونَ أَنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوٓا۟ أَزَاغَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ 5

{ و } اذكر { إذ قال موسى لقومه يقوم لم تؤذوننى } قالوا: إنه آدر، أي منتفخ الخصية وليس كذلك، وكذبوه { وقد } للتحقيق { تعلمون أنى رسول الله إليكم } الجملة حال، والرسول يحترم { فلما زاغوا } عدلوا عن الحق بإيذائه { أزاغ الله قلوبهم } أمالها عن الهدى على وفق ما قدره في الأزل { والله لا يهدى القوم الفسقين } الكافرين في علمه.

And, mention, when Moses said to his people, ‘O my people, why do you harm me — [for] they had said that he had a hernia in his testicles, which he did not have, and they denied him — when certainly (qad is for confirmation) you know that I am the messenger of God to you?’ (annī rasūlu’Llāhi ilaykum: this sentence is a circumstantial qualifier) and [when you know that] messengers ought to be respected. So when they deviated, when they swerved away from the truth by harming him, God caused their hearts to deviate: He turned them away from guidance, in accordance to what He had preordained since pre-eternity, and God does not guide the immoral folk, those who, in His knowledge, are disbelievers.

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرًۢا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِى ٱسْمُهُۥٓ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ 6

{ و } اذكر { إذ قال عيسى ابن مريم يبنى إسرءيل } لم يقل: يا قوم لأنه لم يكن له فيهم قرابة { إنى رسول الله إليكم مصدقا لما بين يدى } قبلي { من التورة ومبشرا برسول يأتى من بعدى اسمه أحمد } قال تعالى: { فلما جاءهم } جاء أحمد الكفار { بالبينت } الآيات والعلامات { قالوا هذا } أي المجيء به { سحر } وفي قراءة «ساحر» أي الجائي به (مبين) بين.

And, mention, when Jesus son of Mary said, ‘O Children of Israel — he did not say ‘O my people’ [as did Moses] because he was not related to them in any way — I am indeed God’s messenger to you, confirming what is before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.’ God, exalted be He, says: Yet when he brought them, [when] Ahmad brought the disbelievers, the clear signs, the revelations and the indications, they said, ‘This, namely, what has been brought, is manifest sorcery!’ (sihrun: a variant reading has sāhirun, ‘a sorcerer’, meaning the one who has brought them [is a manifest sorcerer]).

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ يُدْعَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 7

{ ومن } أي لا أحد { أظلم } أشد ظلما { ممن افترى على الله الكذب } بنسبة الشريك والولد إليه ووصف آياته بالسحر { وهو يدعى إلى الإسلم والله لا يهدى القوم الظلمين } الكافرين.

And who does — that is to say, none does — greater wrong than he who invents lies against God, by ascribing a partner and a child to Him and describing His signs as being sorcery, when he is [actually] being summoned to submission [to God]? And God does not guide the wrongdoing folk, the disbelieving [folk].

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِـُٔوا۟ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَٱللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ 8

{ يريدون ليطفئوا } منصوب بأن مقدرة واللام مزيدة { نور الله } شرعه وبراهينه { بأفوههم } بأقوالهم إنه سحر وشعر وكهانة { والله متم } مظهر { نوره } وفي قراءة بالإضافة { ولو كره الكفرون } ذلك.

They desire to extinguish (li-yutfi’ū is in the subjunctive form because of an implicit an [sc. an yutfi’ū], the lām being extra) the light of God, His Law and His proofs, with their mouths, with their sayings, that this is sorcery, or poetry or soothsaying; but God will perfect, He will manifest, His light (mutimmun nūrahu: some have read this in the form of a genitive annextation, mutimmu nūrihi) though the disbelievers be averse, to this.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ 9

{ هو الذي أرسل رسوله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره } يعليه { على الدين كله } جميع الأديان المخالفة { ولو كره المشركون } ذلك.

It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail, that He may raise it, over all [other] religions, [over] all the religions which oppose it, though the disbelievers be averse, to this.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ تِجَـٰرَةٍ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ 10

{ يأيها الذين ءامنوا هل أدلكم على تجرة تنجيكم } بالتخفيف والتشديد { من عذاب أليم } مؤلم، فكأنهم قالوا نعم فقال:

O you who believe, shall I show you a commerce that will deliver you (read tunjīkum or tunajjīkum) from a painful chastisement? It is as if they had replied, ‘Yes’, so that He then says:

تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ 11

{ تؤمنون } تدومون على الإيمان { بالله ورسوله وتجهدون فى سبيل الله بأمولكم وأنفسكم ذلكم خير لكم إن كنتم تعلمون } أنه خير لكم فافعلوه.

You should believe, you should maintain faith, in God and His Messenger and struggle for the cause of God with your possessions and your lives. That is better for you, should you know, that it is better for you, then do it.

يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ 12

{ يغفر } جواب شرط مقدر، أي إن تفعلوه يغفر { لكم ذنوبكم ويدخلكم جنت تجرى من تحتها الأنهر ومسكن طيبة فى جنت عدن } إقامة { ذلك الفوز العظيم }.

He will [then] forgive you (yaghfir is the response to an implied conditional, that is to say, ‘if you do this, He will then forgive you’) your sins and admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in the Gardens of Eden, as a residence. That is the supreme triumph.